The LDC Group says Nepal’s disaster underscores the urgent need for stronger early-warning systems, adaptation support and timely finance for countries facing worsening climate impacts.
Bloc of 44 countries expresses solidarity with Nepal, calls for stronger adaptation efforts and loss and damage support amid rising climate risks.
The Least Developed Countries (LDC) Group has expressed deep condolences and solidarity with Nepal following devastating floods and landslides that have caused loss of life, displacement, and widespread destruction across the Himalayan nation.
The disaster has affected communities across Nepal, with authorities reporting significant casualties, displacement, and extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods.
In a letter signed by LDC Chair Adão Soares Barbosa, the 44-country bloc said its thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives, people awaiting news of missing loved ones, and all communities affected by the tragedy.
“We also recognize the courage and dedication of emergency responders, authorities, humanitarian organizations, and community members working tirelessly to save lives and provide relief,” the letter said.
The LDC Group said the tragedy demonstrates how vulnerable mountain communities and developing countries are increasingly exposed to interconnected environmental and climate risks. It stressed that reducing greenhouse gas emissions and strengthening climate resilience must be treated as an urgent global priority.
“This disaster is a painful reminder of the growing vulnerability of mountain communities and developing countries to climate-related and cascading risks,” the LDC Group said.
The group reaffirmed its solidarity with Nepal and called on the international community to support the country’s rescue, relief, recovery, and rebuilding efforts. It urged greater investment in climate adaptation, resilience-building, and effective early-warning systems, warning that climate impacts are increasingly challenging the ability of vulnerable communities to cope.
The LDC Group also reiterated its call for adequate, accessible, predictable, and timely loss and damage finance, along with broader international support to help vulnerable countries respond to large-scale climate-related disasters.
The bloc has consistently argued that climate-vulnerable countries require dedicated financial support to recover from irreversible losses and damages associated with climate impacts.
Nepal’s Climate Vulnerability in Focus
Nepal, a mountainous developing country with limited historical responsibility for global emissions, has long highlighted its exposure to climate risks, including glacier-related hazards, floods, and extreme weather events.
Despite contributing only a very small share of global greenhouse gas emissions, Nepal and other vulnerable countries face growing exposure to climate-related hazards, strengthening calls for greater international support for adaptation, resilience-building, and climate finance.
“Beyond Imagination,” Warns Nepali Climate Expert
Adding an on-the-ground perspective, Manjeet Dhakal, a Nepali climate diplomacy expert who advises the LDC Group’s leadership under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), described the scale of destruction caused by the floods as “beyond imagination.”
Dhakal warned that the scale of such disasters is testing existing climate resilience systems and early-warning mechanisms as communities face growing exposure to climate-related hazards.
His concerns echo the LDC Group’s broader message: countries such as Nepal, despite having contributed minimally to global emissions, are experiencing disproportionate impacts from climate risks.
For the LDC Group, the Nepal disaster reinforces a long-standing argument that countries with the least contribution to global emissions are facing some of the most severe consequences of climate change. The bloc has repeatedly called for stronger international cooperation, increased adaptation finance, and effective support for addressing loss and damage.
The disaster has once again placed the priorities of vulnerable nations at the centre of global climate discussions, as countries push for faster action on adaptation, resilience, and climate finance.
